. >> we spend more on our military than the next ten countries combined-- china, russia, france, united kingdom, you name it, next ten. >> reporter: but romney proposes a buildup of ground forces, air forces, and the navy. he would build 15 new warships every year compared to the president's nine and increase defense spending by more than $2 trillion over ten years according to independent estimates. >> so we have to make decisions based upon uncertainty and that means a strong military. i will not cut our military budget. >> reporter: last night, romney's claim that the navy is too small and the president's response was a clear snapshot of their differences. >> our navy is smaller now than any time since 1917. >> you mentioned the navy, for example and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military has changed. >> this is a c&c computerized press brake. >> reporter: but what worries george hill is the more immediate threat of automatic defense cuts scheduled in january unless congress reaches a new